Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Acquired by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 23.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,221 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 3.6% during the third quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 801 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 499 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $170,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 34.2% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 191.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 323 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total value of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,002,722.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total value of $503,830.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,797,249.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total transaction of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,002,722.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 10,440 shares of company stock worth $4,244,582. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.1 %

Murphy USA stock opened at $420.54 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $413.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $382.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.49 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.95. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $267.93 and a one year high of $430.83.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $1.21. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 70.92%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.21 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $375.00 to $425.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $408.60.

Murphy USA Profile

Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands, as well as operates non-fuel convenience stores. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.